Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark

Infobox Glücksburg Royalty|highness
name = Princess Vilhelmine Marie
full name =


imgw = 200
caption = Painting by Louis August Aumont (1831)
title = Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
styles = "HRH" The Dowager Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
"HRH" The Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
"HRH" Princess Frederick of Denmark
"HRH" Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark
royal house = House of Oldenburg
House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
spouse = Prince Frederick of Denmark
Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
issue =
date of birth = birth date|1808|1|18|df=y
place of birth = Kiel, Duchy of Schleswig
date of death = death date and age|1891|5|30|1808|1|18|df=y
place of death = Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia
father = Frederick VI of Denmark
mother = Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel

Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark and Norway (born January 18, 1808 in Kiel, Duchy of Schleswig;died May 30, 1891 in Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia) was the youngest daughter of Frederick VI of Denmark and his wife and first cousin Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel. Her paternal grandfather, Christian VII of Denmark, had major psychological problems and as result, her father had been acting as Regent since 1784. Within two months of her birth, Vilhelmine Marie's grandfather died of a cerebral aneurysm and her father ascended as king.

Since her father had no surviving sons, Vilhelmine Marie was a very desirable bride. Among her suitors was the future Oscar I of Sweden of the then newly established Bernadotte dynasty. On November 1, 1828, she married Prince Frederick of Denmark, the future King Frederick VII. Prince Frederick was a direct male-line descendant of King Frederick V by his second wife Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. The marriage united the two lines of the Royal House, but soon turned out to be an unhappy one. That was not least because of Frederick's debauched lifestyle with infidelity and heavy drinking. The couple were separated in 1834 and divorced three years later. In 1838 she married second Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, eldest brother of the future King Christian IX of Denmark. Both her marriages were childless. Many believe that she was barren as there no records of her having any miscarriages or stillbirths.

During the First Schleswig War (1848-1851), her husband actively sided against Denmark. That caused Vilhelmine's relations with the Danish Royal family to be severed for some time. In 1852 there was a reconciliation and she again enjoyed a close relationship with her family in Copenhagen. Her status as the daughter of a well-loved king and abused wife of a vilified king helped her to regain her popularity among the Danish people. Her husband never did.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

*18 January 1808 - 1 November 1828: "Her Royal Highness" Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark
*1 November 1828 - 4 September 1837: "Her Royal Highness" Princess Frederick of Denmark
*4 September 1837 - 19 May 1838: "Her Royal Highness" Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark
*19 May 1838 - 24 October 1878: "Her Royal Highness" The Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
*24 October 1878 - 30 May 1891: "Her Royal Highness" The Dowager Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg ahnentafel-compact5
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1= 1. Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark
2= 2. Frederick VI of Denmark
3= 3. Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel
4= 4. Christian VII of Denmark
5= 5. Caroline Matilda of Wales
6= 6. Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel
7= 7. Louise of Denmark
8= 8. Frederick V of Denmark
9= 9. Louise of Great Britain
10= 10. Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales
11= 11. Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
12= 12. Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel
13= 13. Mary of Great Britain
14= 14. Frederick V of Denmark (=8)
15= 15. Louise of Great Britain (=9)
16= 16. Christian VI of Denmark
17= 17. Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
18= 18. George II of Great Britain
19= 19. Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach
20= 20. George II of Great Britain (=18)
21= 21. Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (=19)
22= 22. Frederick II of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
23= 23. Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst
24= 24. William VIII of Hesse-Kassel
25= 25. Dorothea Wilhelmine of Saxe-Zeitz
26= 26. George II of Great Britain (=18)
27= 27. Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (=19)
28= 28. Christian VI of Denmark (=16)
29= 29. Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (=17)
30= 30. George II of Great Britain (=18)
31= 31. Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (=19)